The Tories have been unveiling their digital ambitions.

The Independent Spectrum Broker admits moves toward Digital Britain came at “wrong point in the electoral cycle.”

How the anti-piracy measures included in its Digital Economy Bill could work in practice.

Government says one in four of its Digital Britain recommendations have been achieved.

The Digital Economy Bill has been having its first “line by line examination” in Parliament this week.

The BT Group is waging a war on two fronts: versus the Government on one side, battling TalkTalk and Sky on the other.

Not only has BT Retail declared itself the first UK Internet Service Provider to reach the five million customer milestone, it’s also revealed it’s ahead of schedule when it comes to installing its next-generation broadband network

The pre-Budget report is out and the “broadband tax” is in – meaning the Chancellor has given the green light to a measure that’ll cost British households with fixed lines a minimum of 50 pence each month. This comes as another Commonwealth country is talking about putting a levy on its telecommunications firms instead of its consumers. And it wasn’t the only announcement that concerns Digital Britain in what’s being seen as Alistair Darling’s first real Budget.

We’re all used to UK ISPs rounding on upcoming legislation designed to lay the foundations of a Digital Britain – but now some even bigger web businesses are getting in on the act. Google, Facebook, Yahoo and eBay are all calling for the Government to abandon Clause 17 of its Digital Economy Bill, which it’s argued could give dark Lord Peter Mandelson – or any future Secretary of State – unwarrantable powers to change British copyright law.

Leaked Government documents appear to reveal that the 50p levy on fixed lines intended to fund Britain’s access to super-fast broadband could cost consumers more than previously thought. Accordingly, not only will Value Added Tax (VAT) come in the equation, but we also now appear to have confirmation that households with more than one phone line will be charged separately for each one.

After Swindon unveiled its “Digital City” initiative last week, even Wiltshire residents may be now wistfully looking over to South Yorkshire as the heart of its new Digital Region project goes live. While it may not boast free Internet access, it is promising a “guaranteed” 25Mbit/s service and that its users will “get what they pay for.”

The Queen’s been giving Her annual address to Parliament, formally unveiling what will be the current Government’s final legislative programme. In doing so, she announced that a new Digital Economy bill would be published on Friday and what the key elements will be – and there’s no mention of the infamous 50p levy on landlines being implemented.

The Government’s signed up a UK satellite operator in a bid to help reach the Universal Service Commitment (USC) that was laid out in the Digital Britain report. Avanti Communications is being called on to plug gaps in Britain’s broadband network as Blighty strives for 2Mbit/s access across the board by 2012. Meanwhile, another satellite broadband firm’s just announced its post-tax profits are up by over a third.

The Digital Britain minster’s been speaking in Scotland, promising superfast broadband will bring an array of social, economic and health benefits to consumers and businesses across the country. In order to achieve this, Stephen Timms says £200 million’s been set aside to supplement market-led growth and spend on “areas that have little or no service.”

TalkTalk CEO, Charles Dunstone, is to tell the Government its proposed 50p levy on copper phone lines to fund ‘next generation’ broadband will backfire.
Far from providing a fund which will bring fibre to communities who are likely to miss out on commercial roll outs, Dunstone claims the extra 50p per month will cause more than [...]

TalkTalk is taking its already-vocal opposition to Lord Mandelson’s plans to disconnect persistent illegal downloaders a step further today with dontdisconnect.us

The campaigning website outlines the rough proposals being outlined by the Government that could lead to disconnection and argues the steps are too draconian because they could see people wrongly accused and also see people [...]

The culture secretary has revealed the Government is stepping back from its new tough stance on illegal file-swapping, following widespread outcry against the move. Ben Bradshaw now says that a court order will have to be obtained by those wanting punish those they suspect of being persistent offenders – and that nobody will just be cut off “willy nilly.”

As progress is made on one of the Digital Britain proposals, it’s emerged that if the current Government loses the next election another will be abandoned “as soon as possible.”

Peter Mandelson’s plans to crack down on illegal file-sharing have a critical flaw, according to a senior TalkTalk exec. Andrew Heaney, the group’s Executive Director of Strategy and Regulation, says the ease of hacking Wi-Fi broadband connections on the average UK street means millions of people would be left at risk to “superhighway robbery.”

Finland has become the first country in the world to declare broadband access a universal right for all its citizens. The news comes as it’s revealed three quarters of sixteen to twenty-four year olds in Britain say they can’t live without the Internet.